Wielding clout to the last moments of President Bill Clinton's term, Rev. Jesse Jackson successfully pressed for clemency for two longtime supporters, including one whose looting of government programs for the poor and for mentally handicapped children was described by a judge as "evil itself."

A second Jackson ally pardoned by Clinton helped bring down a bank, an insurance company and a newspaper, according to prosecutors.

Both clemency requests went directly to the White House, skirting the normal process that would allow federal prosecutors to weigh in and possibly oppose the pleas for mercy.

Jackson said he pressed the case for Dorothy Rivers, a well-known Chicago social activist convicted of stealing government funds from social programs, because "she is contrite." But court records indicate that Rivers has yet to acknowledge responsibility for her crime and continued court appeals of her 5-year, 10-month sentence for fraud, theft and tax evasion even as she applied for presidential mercy.

In a flurry of now-controversial orders in his last day in office, Clinton slashed Rivers' sentence by 20 months and pardoned John H. Bustamante, who pleaded guilty to fraud in 1993 for misspending a $275,000 loan. Clinton also commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds, whose plea for clemency was endorsed by Jackson and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), among others. The former president turned down Jackson's request for clemency for his half-brother, Noah Robinson, who is serving a life sentence for conspiracy to commit murder.

In a recent interview, Jackson said he appealed to Clinton "back in the fall sometime. ...We spent a lot of time together."

Jackson said all four individuals were worthy of clemency and should not be lumped with political lightning rod pardons such as that of fugitive billionaire Marc Rich.

"It never occurred to me that making appeals, to making recommendations for eligible people, was a dirty thing until all this mess came up," Jackson said. "This is what you do. You make requests, then there's a process."

But in the cases of Rivers and Bustamante--as in 28 other of the 176 clemency orders issued by Clinton on Jan. 20--the process omitted routine vetting by the Department of Justice.

Santa serving champagne

Court files in both Bustamante's and Rivers' cases paint vivid portraits of respected community leaders using business and government connections to embark on lengthy sprees of self-enriching fraud and theft.

Rivers, known at one upscale boutique as "the Duchess," cut a stylish figure as a fashion-conscious social activist, running the Hyde Park-based Chicago Mental Health Foundation and the Pritzker-Grinker School for children with behavioral disorders on the South Side.

She also served on the Chicago Plan Commission, was active in the local Democratic Party and had been a Jackson supporter since the days of Operation Breadbasket, a predecessor of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Rush joined Jackson in supporting a commutation for Rivers, who is still a Rainbow/PUSH board member.

In defending efforts on Rivers' behalf, Jackson said, "She ain't shot nobody. She ain't dealt in drugs. She ain't [running] a house of prostitution. ... She's a good person who overspent a grant or so."

But according to court records, Rivers' troubles went far beyond overspending. She misappropriated at least $1.5 million in government money over nine years, treating the coffers of her school and foundation as her own personal bank account, according to prosecutors.

Rivers even victimized her dying son by running up $70,000 in charges on his credit card, prosecutors charged in court proceedings.

Court records show that Rivers bought six fur coats, including a $35,000 sable, and dropped $800 on a purse and $3,500 on a dress with grant money she diverted.

Rivers spent nearly $125,000 in misappropriated funds on party decorations, invitations, flowers and alcohol for political fundraisers and soirees, according to government filings in the case.

Among the most lavish and most talked-about events were Rivers' New Year's Eve parties. Even the invitations were lavish: A Santa Claus would arrive at guests' homes in a limousine to deliver the invites along with glasses of chilled champagne.

In a move opposed by federal prosecutors, Rivers was convicted on an unusual "Alford" plea in which she admitted the government had enough evidence to prove guilt of fraud, theft and tax evasion while still declaring her innocence.

The trial court judge, U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman, said it was only Rivers' age--she was 66 at the time --that kept him from imposing a harsher sentence. He told Rivers he was troubled by her refusal to accept responsibility for the crimes.